Method of winding coils



Nov. 7, 1944. K. H. WEBER 2,362,179

TO uPPEz PU LL.EY

To CHUCK HOLDEE METHOD OF WINDING COILS Filed Aug. 3, 1940 U k coum-se CON TEOL I 40 s z. 4 lllllllllllll INVENTOR KAEL H. WEBER Patented Nov. 7, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MET-HOD OF WINDING COILS Karl H. Weber, Toledo, Ohio Application August 3, 1940, Serial vNo. 350,589

12 Claims.

This invention .relates to the art of coil winding, more particularly to the method of windin coils in even layers.

In the prior art, coils have long been wound for use in apparatus such as regulators and the like by the use of a traversing device which guided the wire into the coil bobbin. The results obtained by the use of this method have not been satisfactory for various reasons, particularly in that the'metho-d was 'difiicult to control, so that the resistances of the various coils was not maintained within reasonable limits to change the electrical characteristics of the coil from a standard. The incontrollability of this method leads to a high percentage of rejects which resulted in nneconomical production.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a novel method of winding coils which will result in a cell having very uniform electrical characteristics, in which the resistance, particularly for a given number of turns, is held within very close limits. The new method allows the winding of very uniform coils in all respects and is capable cf being applied by an operator with very little skill, particularly suchprovision of a method of winding coils by layers, which is very flexible in its application and allows the variation of the characteristics of the coil, such as change of wire size, change in the number of turns, change in the bobbin dimension etc. without great difliculty or expense such as found in the prior art structures.

It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide a method of winding coils which gives substantial uniformity in electrical characteristics of the completed coils and at the same time isadaptable for use with mass production.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a method of winding coils in which the wire is positioned in the bobbin in even regular layers with the wires contiguous and substantially touching.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a method of winding coils layers which is cheap and expeditious and maintains the resistanceof the coils with agiven number of turns within a series within very close limits,

It is a further object of this invention to provide a method of winding coils which is very flexible and allows change of wire size, number of turns, size of bobbin, etc. without completely changing the circumstances, particularly the ma chine, on which the coils are being wound.

Other objects and advantages of this invention relating to the arrangement, operation and function of the related elements of the structure, to various details of construction, to combinations of parts and to economies of manufacture, will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification whereinlike reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

Figure 1 is an elevational view.

Figure 2 is a plan view.

Figure 3 is an isometric view adjacent the spool.

Referring to the drawing, particularly to Figure 1, a chucking device In is provided which is driven by an electric motor ll deriving its power from a source of electric current 12, the motor being under the control of a manual switch l3 which opens the circuit to the motor and also under the control of an automatic switching device l4 which is driven by the motor H and enables the chuck to be stopped after a predetermined number of revolutions have been had. The chuck is provided at its central location with a gripping aperture I5 which is adpated to embrace the threaded stud l6 of a removable spool [1 upon which a coil is to be wound. The spool I1 is pre-iabricated and is adapted to be positioned in the chuck Ill by closing the adjustable chuck parts by means of a screw-tightening device It which is manually operable by the operator to insert or remove the threaded stud I6 into or from the aperture [5 of the chuck Ill.

The spool or bobbin H is provided with transverse heads 19 and 20, the distance between being variable depending upon the size of the coil desired. Both heads are preferably st'apled or otherwise suitably attached to a metalliccentral spindle or core M which is made of magnetic material such as soft iron. In order to insulate the strands of wire positioned about the spindle 2| from the heads l9 and '20,- insulating discs or plates 22 and .23 are provided. The disc 23 may be, if desired, positioned loosely upon the spin plate 26.

dle 2 I, so that it will be capable of being slid longitudinally along the spindle so as to substantial contact the insulating plate 22. The purpose tially contact the insulating plate 22. The purpose of this structure will be described hereinafter.

Adjacent the front face of the chuck Ill, and positioned parallel therewith, a flanged vertical plate 26 is provided which is preferably relatively heavy, being fixed to a base member 21 by means of screws 28 extending through the flanged portion so as to hold the plate very rigidly in juvtaposition with the chuck ID. The plate 26 is provided with projecting studs 29 and 30 having adjacent their outer end, heads 3| and 32 which prevent sheaves 33 and 34, which are mounted upon studs 29 and 30 respectively, from moving outwardly too far along the studs to become disengaged therefrom. The studs 29 and 30 extend parallel to the axis of rotation of the spool for at least the length of the spool and are preferably given a very high polish so as to make them very smooth and form substantially frictionless journals for the sheaves 33 and 34 which may very easily slide along them with very small lateral thrust being applied thereto. In order to improve this sliding relation, the sheaves are provided with elongated journal members 35 and 36 which are also highly polished internally to improve the bearings formed .for the sheaves 33 and 34. 4

The stud 29 is located relatively close to the center of rotation of the chuck l and ispositioned slightly above as is clearly shown in Figure 1. The stud 30, however, is located approximately twice the distance from the axis of rotation of the chuck l0 and also is located considerably higher than the stud 29.

On the rear side of the plate 26, an elongated tensioning arm 40 is positioned, being pivoted about a stud 4| which preferably screws into the Looking at Figure 2, the left end of the arm 40 has its motion limited by a stop 42, against which the arm is forced by means of a resilient Spring 43 which cooperates between an aperture 44 in the opposite end of the arm and an anchor on the base 21. At an intermediate position, preferably relatively close to the aperture 44, a headed elongated stud 45 is provided which is very similar to the headed studs 29 and 3|], already described. Upon this stud, another sheave 46 is provided which is very similar to the sheaves 33 and 34.

The purpose of the sheave 46 is to maintain a predetermined amount of tension on the continuousstrand of wire which is looped thereunder and partially embraces the sheave 4G. The tension in the wire is further maintained by a tensioning device T which may be of any desirable form, being preferably mounted above the level of the sheave 46 as is clearly shown in Figure 1. Immediately below the tension device T, a vertical spindle U is provided upon which is mounted a wire spool S, the wire being removed from the spool by a rotating device R to prevent snarling and tangling. The tension device T, the antisnarling and spool mounting devices are well known in the art and need not be described in further detail.

Application Serial No. 509,184, filed by Karl H. Weber November 6, 1943, discloses and claims structures incorporating the herein disclosed method of winding coils in layers.

The continuous strand of wire from the spool is first led through the eye E of the anti-snarling device R, thence through the tension device T,

.under the sheave 46, over the sheave 34 and thence downwardly to the bobbin or spool core 2| which it partially embraces and then cooperates with the sheave 33 to form an elongated loop. The end of the wire is finally attached to the bobbin, as is clearly shown in Figure 3, by being threaded through an aperture 20a which is formed in the insulating plate 22 and the metallic header 20. For convenience in mounting this wire in proper relation with the chuck H], the end of the wire is placed under a leaf springholding device ||la which is attached to the chuck portion by means of a screw lllb. The wire is slipped beneath the spring member lfia which grips it and holds it in firm relation during the winding operation.

After the coil is completely wound, the continuous strand of wire, which is still connected to the spool S, is pulled forwardly and is thrust under a holding device 293a which may consist of two leaf springs attached by a screw 26b to the plate 26 as is clearly shown in Figures 1 and 2. After the wire is positioned in this holding device, it'is cut by the operator by means of a scissors to free the coil from the continuous strand of wire. This loose end is then threaded through an aperture 22a (Figure 3) on 'a latterly projecting por tion of the insulating plate 22, so that the coil may be prevented from unrolling during further processes of fabrication.

The operation of the winding device is as follows: With the chuck II] in relatively open position, the operator mounts a bobbin in the aperture l5, the bobbin previously having the end of the continuous strand of wire from the spool S threaded through its aperture 20a. Then the operator tightens the chuck II] by means of a wrench applied to the tightening device l8, so that the projection N5 of the spindle 2| is firmly gripped by the chuck so as to rotate about its true center. The end of the wire is then positioned under the holding device Illa, so that it is prevented from interfering with the winding of the coil while the bobbin is being rotated at relatively high speed. The operator then takes the wire which is attached to the bobbin at the aperture 20a and threads the wire over the sheave 33, beginning at the upper side and continuing around the sheave as shown in Figure 3. From the bottom side of the sheave 33, the wire is again led over the spindle 2| and then continues up and is threaded over the sheave 34, then under the tensioning sheave 46 and into the tensioning device and spool S as is clearly shown in Figure 1.

It is preferable at this point, before beginning rotation of the bobbin, to insure that the beginning turn of the coil is flatly positioned against the insulating plate 22 on the upper end of the bobbin (Figure 2) for the operator to slide the lower insulating disc 23 along the spindle 2| to urge the wire against the insulating plate 22 as already described. While the operator is momentarily urging the insulating disc 23 upwardly (Figure 2) toaccomplish this purpose, the manual switch l3 in the motor power circuit is closed and the motor begins to rotate the bobbin in a controlling device for the motor II.

From this it isi'clearthat 'wireiportion 58, which: time,r.theroperator places.-.the: continuous-strand.

. lSTlOCEttEd. "between the spindle-2| .and the sheave:

33; iswoundIat all times between wirezportion 5|,

which isilocated between the spindle. 2i and .theupper'sheave 34 and turn 52.which has just been.

wound on the spindle .by the rotation thereof. The wire portion 5|; therefore, hasca'tendencyl-to constrict the space in which thewire portion50 is being wound upon the spindle 2| and hencesurges by. reaction the -:wire portion 50wat all times into: close cooperation with the turn 52 which has just been. Wound uponthe spindle. This actiominsures that the turns-wound upon the spindle 2i arein touching relation with each other asthey are being wound thereon.

As-the wire isbeing wound on .the spindle 2|,

the winding plane advances toward the second or' outer head I9 of the bobbin. In. order that the relationbetween the spindle 2| and sheaves 33 and-34 shall remain substantially the same in thewinding plane as it advances from side to sideor from head to head, it is essential. that the sheaves- 33 and 34 and to a lesser extent sheave 46 shall advance with the winding plane, so that a sub stantially parallel relation shall. be maintained which will be substantially normal to the axis of rotation of the bobbin although a slight lag of the sheaves is observable.

sheaves particularly sheaves 33 and 34 along their mounting studs 29. and to maintain the substantial parallel relation of the sheaves and the rides up on the wire portion 50 at that instantand then drops back again on the opposite side of the wire portion .50 to maintain the same relative position between the wire portions; In other.

words, the wire portion 5| at all times leads the wire portion 50 and maintains thesame constricting action throughout the winding ofthe coil. During. the winding of the first layer on the spindle 2!, the wire will be as. shown in Figure 3 wherein the Wire portion M. will. be

on the right of the wire portion 50 as shown, .or.

referring to Figure 2, thewire portion 5| will be below the wire portion 59. In the second layer, however, the positions will be exactly reversed because the direction of winding is reversed. In other words, the wire portion 5| in the second layer will be to the left of the wire portion 50 if seen as in Figure 3, or referring to Figure 2, the wire portion 5| will be above the wire portion 50. The third layer will follow the sequence of the first layer, etc.

This winding action will continue in layers until the predetermined number of turns have been placed upon the bobbin as is established by the desired electrical characteristics of the finished coil. This is automatically controlled by the mechanism M which includes a counter and a It may act upon the manual switch l3, so that the start of the winding cycle is under the control of the operator, while the termination of the winding period is at all times under the control of the automatic device which is' actuated by the counter when the predetermined number of turns have been wound upon the bobbin. At this The winding plane as itadvances across the spindle places a lateral thrust on the wire strandwhich is su-iiicient to move the.

underrthe holding device-226a; and :cutsrthe com-.

pletely wound coi-hfrom-thestrand betweemthe holding. device: ZBaend thez-coil... Theieend. of

. the wireis then: inserted. in the" aperture- 2241 illustrated; in, the: accompanyingdrawing; since.

the invention iscapable of a being practiced and carriedi-out in various ways without departing from the spirit 'of the invention. The language used in the specification relating to the operationandi function of the elements 1 of the inven--.

tion is: employed for purposesof description and:

not of limitation.

Whatis claimed:

1. The method iofawinding coils in layersonia: spindle from .a continuous; wirev strand, com-.

prising. rotatingthe spindle with an endof the strandattached thereto whereby-the wire strand.

iszwoundin turns-about the spindle, andforrnv ing an enlarged elongated closed .loop inv the .wire

strand surroundingthe. spindle adjacent .the turn being wound, so. that .the portion of .the. strand justbeing wound is positionedbetweenthe last woundturn and the loop and intouching relation with both.

2..,'I'he method of windingcoils in, layers on .a.

spindle froma continuous wire strand, comprise ingv fixing an endof the..wire.to the spindle and rotatingthe spindle. to wrap the. wire. there-- about in turns substantially in touching. relation with each other, forming an enlarged closedloop in the continuous. strandof wire surrounding the spindle. adjacent the winding point, and.

continuously advancing, the loop forwardly on the spindle by the wire portionjust being, wound on the spindle.

3. The method of winding coils in layers on .a

rotating bobbin, comprising. fixinganend oifa continuous. strand of wire to the bobbin atone end thereof, forming an. elongated. closedloop in the wire surrounding the spindle of the bobbin. forwardly of the turn beingwound, maintaining the loop substantially normal. to the axis of rotation of the ,bobbinand forwardly at all times of the axial'direction of advance of thewinding, rotating the bobbin for the winding operation, and maintaining a predetermined tension on the wire.

4. The method of winding coils ,in layers on a rotating bobbin, comprising fixing an end of a continuous strand of wire to the bobbin adjacent one of its shoulders, forming an elongated closed loop, one bight of which is formed emj-a'centone of its shoulders on the spindle of the bobbin, forming an elongated loop in the wire embracing the spindle forwardly of the fixing point and substantially normal to the axis of rotation of the bobbin and advancing axially forwardly in touching relation in the normal position with the turns being wound during rotation of the bobbin, maintaining a predetermined tension on the wire to keep the loop firmly in embracing relation whereby the winding will automatically reverse adjacent the shoulders of the bobbin to start a new layer, said loop at all times maintaining its forward direction with reference to the direction of winding.

6. The method of winding coils in layers on a bobbin comprising establishing a winding plane by an elongated loop of wire in a continuous strand nearly at right angles to the axis of rotation of the bobbin, moving portions of the wire of the continuous strand from a source around the spindle of the bobbin through the loop and into final winding position on the bobbin, and maintaining a predetermined tension on the wire strand, whereby upon rotation of the bobbin the wire is wound on the spindle of the bobbin at a point behind the portion of the wire looped around the spindle.

'7. The method of winding coils from a strand of wire on a rotating spindle comprising looping the wire about the spindle and continuously advancing the loop forwardly on the spindle by the wire portion just being wound on the spindle.

8. The method of windin coils in even layers on a rotating bobbin having end plates from a strand of wire, comprising looping the wire about the bobbin, continuously advancing the loopforwardly on the bobbin in the direction of winding in contact with the wire portion just being wound through to the completion of one layer, reversing the direction of winding automatically by contact between the loop and the end plate of the bobbin to maintain the forward position of the loop with relation to the wire portion just being wound to wind the second layer, and continuing the automatic reversal of the winding direction at the end of each layer by the end plates of the bobbin until the required number of turns have been wound.

9. The method of winding coils in layers on a rotatable bobbin, comprising establishing an advancing winding plane by an elongated loop in a continuous strand of wire nearly normal to the axis of rotation of the bobbin, said plane being advanced in a direction to retain the normal relation to the said axis of rotation as the winding proceeds, fixing an end of the wire to the bobbin, passing the wire from the fixing'point through the loop, under and around the spindle of the bobbin adjacent the fixing point, then to the source of wire, whereby upon rotation of the bobbin the wire will move around the spindle of the bobbin into the loop and into final winding position on the bobbin, the plane of winding advancing along the spindle of the bobbin by the lateral movement of the loop being urged by the turn being wound.

10. The method of winding a'layer of wire consisting of turns in close proximity on a rotatable portion, comprising rotating the rotatable portion to position the separate turns thereon, providing a drag member consisting of a loop in the wire operative at the point where the wire portion just being wound is being positioned on the rotatable portion to urge the wire portion just being wound into touching relation with the turn previously wound, and continuously advancing the drag member forward to maintain its position relative to the wire portion just being wound as the winding proceeds to form the layer.

'11. The method of winding a layer of wire consisting of turns in close proximity on a rotatable portion. comprising rotating the rotatable portion to position the separate turns thereon, providing a drag member integral with the wire being wound on the rotatable portion, operative at the point where the wire portion just being wound is being positioned on the rotatable portion to urge the wire portion just being wound into touching relation with the turn previously wound and continuously advancing the drag member forwardly on the rotatable portion to maintain its position relative to the wire portion just being wound as the winding proceeds to form the layer.

12. The method of winding a layer of wire consisting of turns in close proximity on a rotatable member, comprising rotating the rotatable member to position the separate turns thereon, providing a drag member integral with the wire being wound on the rotatable member, operative at the point where the wire portion just being wound is being positioned on the rotatable member to urge the wire portion just being wound into touching relation with the previously-wound turn, and continuously advancing the drag member forwardly on the rotatable member by the wire portion just being wound to maintain the same relative position of the drag member to the wire portion just being wound as the winding proceeds to form the layer.

KARL H. WEBER. 

